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Madagascar: No more fish? We'll farm seaweed instead

The collapse of fisheries, decline of coral reefs and drought are all hitting Madagascar hard. But fishermen are coping with scarce and stressed resources in the Indian Ocean by coming up with new alternatives.

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Madagascar's resourceful fishermen

Madagascar's resourceful fishermen

Landing his wooden canoe on the coral-sand coast of Madagascar, just a few steps from his home, fisherman Samba Lahy recalls his childhood: "I started fishing with my parents when I was 18," he told DW. "We used to return home with the pirogue packed with fish."

Today, life in Tampolove - a small village in the south of Madagascar - has changed for Lahy and his family. "Resources are rare," he said. For 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of fish per day, fisherman can earn $1 (.87 euros). "On lucky days, a catch goes up to 20 kilograms," Lahy explained.

Fishermen have seen fish stocks dwindle over the course of their lifetimes

In Madagascar, this is particularly worrying, as fishing contributes more than 7 percent of the national gross domestic product - and is the backbone of the economy in rural areas.

Fish are also the main source of protein for coastal populations.

In the face of looming food insecurity, Madagascar's fishers are getting creative in their quest for alternatives.

Farmers and fishers in trouble

If fisheries continue to decline rapidly, it could have a serious effect in Madagascar, leading to further food shortages and economic problems in one of the poorest countries in Africa.

Compounding this are the effects of climate change, which people are experiencing across the country. Long-lasting drought has led to failing harvests, leaving 850,000 people in a state of severe hunger. As a result, starving families from inland communities have been forced to move to the coast - putting increased pressure on coastal resources.

The changing climate is a major pressure on communities across Madagascar

Add to the equation that coastal communities like Tampolove are experiencing changing weather patterns. "We are well into the rainy season, but have yet to receive rain," said Richard Badouraly, president of the aquaculture community in Tampolove. "Both farmers and fishers are in trouble."

Gildas Todinanahary, of the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Science, University of Toliara, warns that fisheries in Madagascar are further threatened by declining coral reefs.

"Over the past 50 years, 65 percent of the corals of reef off the coast of Toliara have died," he said.

Creating sustainable resources

Living from the sea also means living with the sea

To prevent ecosystems from collapsing, the Velondriake - an association of several villages all falling within the same marine protected area - was created by the government.

The name means "to live with the sea," and the program is managed by locals. "Fishers understood that they needed to look for alternatives to fishing," said community leader Badouraly.

The marine reserve stretches over 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) along the coast of Madagascar, and includes a total population of 7,500 people.

The reserve includes coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, baobab forests and thornscrub. Local community members farm sea cucumbers and seaweed, and conduct monitoring.

Thanks to PACP (Projet d'Appui aux Communautés de Pêcheurs), local people manage much of the project, both governing and establishing alternative activities in the reserves.

Thus, villagers have become both managers and guardians of their own coasts. Management decisions are discussed and agreed upon as a community.

Madagascan fishers see commercial opportunities in sea cucumbers

Sea cucumbers, coral and seahorses

In Tampolove, where people's diet consists mainly of fish and rice, fishers have started farming seaweed.

In the last few years, the community has also begun testing the cultivation of sea cucumbers (Holoturia scabra), and of elkhorn sea moss (Kappaphycus alvarezii). Sea moss is a type of red algae, from which carrageenan - a gel used in the food and cosmetic industry - is extracted.

Algae farming is proving a success in the village; production has risen from 13 tons in 2013 to 187 tons in 2016. "And we expect to reach 250 tons this year," Badouraly added.

A farmer in Madagascar spreads seaweeds on a drying table. Farmers in the country are worried about declining fish stocks.

Family life is also being affected. Women have been financially liberated since becoming the main algae farmers, often working with men, many of whom remain fishers. As a result, the birth rate in the area has decreased.

Next, the community is looking to cash in on sea cucumbers, which have high commercial value. And the fishers are even investigating whether coral and seahorses can also be farmed.

But Todinanahary points out that the real natural riches are in the community.

"When we say as scientists, as the government: You should change the way you live - they will give us the solution themselves."

This story is part 2 in the two-part series of the Shared Horizons journalism project, which focuses on community-based management of resources as a tool to adapt to changes in the environment. Funding support was provided by the Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Program, operated by the European Journalism Center.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

Their future lies in the sea

For four hours Hamnipi Khamis ties algae on a rope. She is one of the 15,000 women farmers on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar who make a living out of tying red algae. This seeweed is rich in Agar and Carrageenan making it very popular with food and cosmetics industries. The plant is dried for shipping to Europe and the United States. For Khamis,the red algae is one way of getting out of poverty.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

In the rhythm with the tides

Khamis follows the retreating sea. Her life is determined by the rhythm of the tides. Before the next high tide lashes out at her fields under the water again, Khamis has to make the harvest and set new shoots. She spends up to six hours a day in the salty waters. "I cannot swim. But still am not afraid of the sea. I love the sea. It feeds me," she says.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

To the sea on foot

Khamis' working gear consists of sandals made out of car tires, a stick and a bunch of ropes. "We must watch out for the sea urchins, the bites are very painful. And there are also small sharp shells that cut out into your hands. We all know that. “And the salt water? ”O that can’t hurt us," said 60 -year-old Khamis, who comes from the village of Kidoti on the northwest shore of Zanzibar.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

Farming in the Indian Ocean

As quickly as possible Khamis attaches algae after alage to short lengths of rope, so the water can be expelled. The rope ends are then tied to longer ropes that mark out the area within which the algae are being cultivated . The whole plantation is around 25 square meters in size. After six weeks, the women can reap their algae and their weight has increased tenfold.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

Cottonii and Eucheuma denticulatum

There is a big demand for Cottonii red algae the world market. In Zanzibar another type of seaweed, Eucheuma, is also cultivated. The red algae contain Agar and Carrageenan which are used in medicines, toothpaste, sausages and body lotions.In EU countries, Carrageenan, is known as food additive E407, and it used as an emulsifying and gelling agent. Good for both gummy bears and cosmetic creams!

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

Seaweed by weight

A bag of seaweed weighs about 50 kilograms. On a good day Khamis can harvest up to half a ton that's 500 kilograms. The algae loses half its weight when it's drying. For a kilo of dry algae, a dealer will pay Khamis 160 Tanzania shillings (7 euro cents). Cottonii and Eucheuma are exported to France, Denmark, China and the United States. Zanzibar produces about 11,000 tons of seaweed per year.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

Value added

By the time the powdered algae has found its way into the cosmetics industry its value has increased many times over. A cosmetics cream with red algae extract costs about 125 euros.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

Soap of Zanzibar

Khamis also earns money from cosmetics made directly from the algae.Twenty women from Kidoti formed a cooperative “Tusife Mojo” meaning “Do not give up ". In 1995, she had the idea of making soap herself from the algae. Enriched with cinnamon, cloves and eucalyptus, a bar of soap sells for 1000 Tanzanian Shilling (45 euro cents). I always use soap made from the Tang seaweed,” says Khamis.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

Cloves, cardamom, algae

The Tanzanian island of Zanzibar was once one of the world's largest producers of cloves. Revenue from ardamom, vanilla and cinnamon exports fed the island. Today, tourism is the main source of income, followed by the spice trade and the export of red algae. About 20,000 Zanzibaris, mostly women, live off cultivating plants.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

It has changed her life

"My family finds it great that I collect seaweed. They live off my income," says Khamis, a mother of six. "Before we were farmers, we lived off the land." When they took up algae cultivation the women left their homes to earn a living for the first time. This has also changed their position in the family and society: Women, too, are bread winners.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

Dynamite and overfishing

Before, men earned money from fishing. But because of overfishing, using dynamite, and the effects of climate change, they can no longer catch enough fish. At the harbor not far from Kidoti, a few fishermen still sell their catch. Most of it goes directly to the central market in the capital, Stone Town, which is about 30 kilometers away.

The seaweed farmers in Zanzibar

For a Better Life

Khamis will not become a wealthy woman cultivating seaweed. But she has been able to buy school uniforms for her six children.” My husband is a fishmonger. What we earn is not enough really to live on. Khamis said there are many things that she wishes for “Good health, energy to work even more - and lots of money so I can do what I want.”